reconnaissance

noun

re·​con·​nais·​sance ri-ˈkä-nə-zən(t)s 

-sən(t)s

: a preliminary survey to gain information

especially : an exploratory military survey of enemy territory

Examples of reconnaissance in a Sentence

There are two helicopters available for reconnaissance.

They did a reconnaissance of the enemy's position.

Recent Examples on the Web

These include intelligence gathering, surveillance, reconnaissance, detection of underwater mines, and mapping of the seabed. —Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 26 Mar. 2026

That was the largest naval-convoy endeavor since the Second World War, and included aircraft carriers and reconnaissance planes. —Sudarsan Raghavan, New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2026

The captain still remembers the day a Russian Orlan reconnaissance drone hung above a Ukrainian position, transmitting coordinates to guide Russian artillery. —Arkansas Online, 23 Mar. 2026

The captain still remembers the day a Russian Orlan reconnaissance drone hung above a Ukrainian position, transmitting coordinates to guide Russian artillery. —ABC News, 21 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

French, literally, recognition, from Middle French reconoissance, from Old French reconoistre to recognize

First Known Use

1779, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

reconnaissance

noun

re·​con·​nais·​sance ri-ˈkän-ə-zən(t)s 

: a survey (as of enemy territory) to gain information